“New Mutants” manages in striking a rare balance between a sense of familiarity with beloved characters, and the unknown and unpredictable. The combination, aligned with beautiful art, is one of the best on the ‘Dawn of X’ launch.
Written by Ed Brisson & Jonathan HickmanCover by Rod Reis
Illustrated by Rod Reis
Colored by Rod Reis
Lettered by VC’s Travis LanhamTHE NEW GENERATION CLAIMS THE DAWN! The classic New Mutants (Sunspot, Wolfsbane, Mirage, Karma, Magik, and Cypher) get together with a few new friends (Chamber, Mondo) for a new mission!
There is a lot to appreciate about the relaunch of “New Mutants” by Brisson, Hickman, and Reis. In just one issue, the creative team was able to quickly define a mission purpose (if at least for the opening arc), restablish a large number of characters, and doing so in an unique art style, that still pays homage to the past history of the group. There is a lot of promise on this new series, for old and new fans alike.
Starting with Rod Reis art, working both on illustrations and colors. Reis surely has a very specific flair to his work, a very light type of stroke, one that allows the background and the foreground to almost mash together. In a story about interacting with a new environment like Krakoa’s, it certainly plays a key role on making this space feels like home.
Reis is also very good at facial expressions. There is a lot of one-on-one exchanges (Cypher with Mondo, Moonstar with Sunspot, Magik with Raza), where essentially all that needs to be known about the cast is conveyed on how their eyes and body language communicate. On a situation with a larger portion of the cast, within a Krakoan habitat, there are tons of details to be absorbed and analysed.
Talking about habitats, Reis, similarly to other artists on the ‘Dawn of X’ launch (especially Marcus To on “Excalibur”) spend a lot of time properly defining the new living nation for mutants. His Krakoa is vibrant and peaceful, a welcoming home portrayed in pastel colors and soft tones. It contrasts directly to the second half of the book set in the Starjammers space vessel: by opposition, the latter looks dirtier, inhospitable. It really works hand-in-hand with the script to make that transition the more jarring.
Finally, Reis pays a very noticeable homage to Bill Sienkiewicz, an artist who is synonymous with “New Mutants” lore, especially from the classic ‘Demon Bear’ arc. In one particular scene, Magik and Raza are sparring aboard the Starjammer’s ship, and those visual are surely reminiscent of Sienkiewicz style. That, and his Wolfsbane more assuredly look like a certain actress that played the lupine mutant in a yet-to–be-released feature film.
On Brisson and Hickman’s script, “New Mutants” surprises by the choices of focus it deploys. Sure, there is quite a bit in terms of classic interaction, most noticeably between Moonstar and Sunspot, but the conductive thread of the entire issue runs through how Cypher and Mondo explore potential connections with Krakoa. The Moonstar and Sunspot moments play to the reader’s anticipation of familiar New Mutants tales. Their friendship is as old as the series itself, their concern about their comrades a key card of this new launch. Almost as if those moments honour the price of admission for longtime fans. As a contrast, Cypher and Mondo, characters who likely never interacted against one another, is what pushes the mystery and plot forward. Both on Earth investigating Krakoa, or in outer space, assessing how the long-term range of the island’s vegetation can have on local habitats, their dialogues and situations are new and interesting, pulling new readers in.
On a more macro level, “New Mutants” work as the new generation of ‘Dawn of X,’ and it does so by pulling mutants from very different time periods and iterations of the concept of “new kids” of the mutant line. The team itself is composed by a combination of classic New Mutants and Generation X members, but several other players are seen on the background of this first issue, be it additional Gen X members, or the Hellion squad from the “New X-Men” volume. It feels specific and encompassing at the same time, with plenty of representation for fans of each era.
All in all, a very strong start for “New Mutants” on this new stage of the X-Men lore. This debut issues does everything a first issue should, establishing familiar characters in new situations, creating unusual pairings and moments, all wrapped up in an art style that contributes both in narrative flow and visual style to the overall package.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Something old, something new, this new chapter of the “New Mutants” saga is off to strange new start, with some much beloved characters in new roles and challenges.
